In 2025, Ripple carried out about $2.45 billion in acquisitions over seven months, which Digital Ascension Group CEO Jake Claver argues are designed to build an "Amazon of financial infrastructure" with XRP and Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin at the settlement core. He links major moves such as the $1.25 billion purchase of prime broker Hidden Road, the roughly $200 million Rail deal, the $1 billion GTreasury buyout and the Palisade acquisition into an end-to-end institutional platform he says Ripple now brands as "Ripple 1." At press time, XRP was trading at $2.10.

According to a Jan. 8 video analysis by crypto analyst Kevin (@Kev Capital TA), Bitcoin's weekly hash ribbons flipped back to a buy signal. He cited a 84% historical hit rate across 19 prior weekly buy signals and outlined a late December capitulation followed by a buy, with another unconfirmed capitulation this week. At press time, Bitcoin traded at $91,009.

On Jan. 7, crypto analyst Quantum Ascend shared an X video arguing Cardano (ADA) is nearing the end of a multi‑month correction resembling 2020, with a "lower trendline reset" and weekly signals turning. He outlined upside levels at $5 and $10 once the ABCDE structure completes. ADA was $0.3925 at press time.

Panos Mekras, founder of Anodos Finance, argues that 2026 is a narrow window for the XRP Ledger to enter the top tier on liquidity and usage, provided Ripple and the XRPL Foundation prioritize consumer onboarding, mainstream payment rails, and faster funding. He flags current metrics—daily DEX volume frequently under $10m, AMM TVL below $50m, and only a few thousand active users—and calls for a clear target: top 3 by volume, liquidity, and overall activity.

At the start of 2026, Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan noted that Bitcoin and Ethereum were each up 7% year-to-date as of Monday, January 5, while Dogecoin had climbed 29% over the same stretch. In a January 6 memo, he argued that whether this early move in crypto becomes a lasting advance depends on avoiding a repeat of the October 10, 2025 liquidation shock, the progress of the CLARITY Act in Congress, and the stability of U.S. equities. He labeled the systemic-risk issue a green light, while treating both the legislative path and the stock market backdrop as yellow lights that could still shift in either direction.

In the second week of January, Bank of America advisers can begin recommending multiple crypto ETPs from January 5, potentially shifting client portfolios toward active digital asset allocations. Ethereum’s BPO2 upgrade on January 7 raises blob capacity, while Hyperliquid’s HYPE unlock on January 6 and Stellar’s Protocol 25 “X-Ray” testnet upgrade on January 7 introduce fresh supply and new privacy tooling. Broader macro factors, including geopolitical tensions and expectations around the next US Fed chair nomination, intersect with a total crypto market cap reported at $3.12 trillion.

Bitcoin's recent sideways trading is being linked more to derivatives activity than to spot ETF flows, according to CryptoQuant analyst Darkfost. He noted that since November 22, daily Bitcoin futures volume has fallen from $123 billion to $63 billion, yet still stands at nearly 20 times spot Bitcoin ETF volume and about 10 times spot market trading. Darkfost and other analysts point to persistently negative net taker volume, weakening demand, and moderated but ongoing long-term holder selling as key factors keeping BTC locked in a consolidation range around $87,972.

On Dec. 31, crypto analyst Cantonese Cat argued that Dogecoin's pullback on weakening volume mirrors AMD's pre-rally setup last year. His chart shows DOGE nearing the 0.382 Fibonacci area around $0.118, while a Dec. 20 roadmap mapped extension targets at $0.90, $1.25, $1.99, $4.78 and $8.91.

In a Dec. 31 interview, Anthony Scaramucci said easier US policy—rate cuts, looser conditions, and potential crypto legislation—could make 2026 stronger for quality altcoins after a bruising 2025. He named Solana, Avalanche and TON as his top picks, kept a $150,000 bitcoin target, and cited roughly $4.6 billion in whale selling this year.